Controversy and much secrecy seem to be the common thoughts amongst historians when speaking of the Knights Templar. Were they really simply fighting for God, or were there more intricate designs to their methods. While it is hard to know for sure all that went on behind their closed doors, one thing is for sure, they have been a fascination for many.
The Knights Templar Beginnings
The Knights Templar came about around 1129 and were endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church. Their existence was very much due to the aiding in the Crusades which had started years earlier. In the great quest of the Holy Land, these soldiers of Christ would prove to be most useful.
Two fighters from the First Crusade, Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer were the first to suggest a group to protect the pilgrims who had fled to the Holy Land. The two knights were granted this and were given a meeting place on the Temple Mount, which incidentally is believed to be the ruins of the famous Temple of Solomon, or as the Crusaders referred to it, Solomon’s Temple. Thus their name “Poor Knights of the Christ and the Temple of Solomon,” also known as “Templar” was formed. They began with nine members who relied heavily on donations in order for their survival.
The Battles of the Crusades
Soon the Knights Templar was given help by a leading church figure, Bernard of Clairvaux, and in 1129 the knights were fully endorsed and recognized. They received money, businesses, land, and young men who were eager to help in the fight for the Holy Land. In 1139, the Pope even gave the Knights Templar an exemption from the local laws. They could then pass freely throughout all borders and were not required to pay any such taxes. The only person they would have to answer to, besides God of course, was the Pope.
The Knights Templar fought many battles throughout the Crusades. Their most famous is probably the Battle of Montgisard in 1177. It was here that around 500 Templar knights helped to take down Saladin’s army which was of about 26,000 soldiers.
The Templar knights continued their efforts for the Holy Land. But as the Muslim world became more united, the knights would have less of a place in society. They continued their businesses, but their decline was soon to come. Their fall came during the reign of King Philip IV of France. King Philip was in much debt with the knights due to his war with the English. So sensing an opportunity to question the Templar knights, he brought them in to free his own debts.
The End Is Near
It was Friday, October 13, 1307 when King Philip ordered many French Templar Knights to be arrested. He charged them with many heresies and would then torture them in order to get confessions of blasphemy.
Other Templar knights found in Europe began to be arrested as well. Some escaped, while the Templar knights of Portugal just simply changed their name from the Knights Templar to the Knights of Christ.
While these knights served their purpose, like history proves, once one is not needed anymore, people seem to push them away. Maybe it was their suspicious acts, or maybe simply people began to fear these mighty soldiers. However, the current view from the Roman Catholic Church is that these medieval persecutions of these Templar knights was wrong and unjust. They believe that there was absolutely nothing wrong with these Knights or with their rule.
